Santino Marella was one of the funniest men in the WWE back when he was working for the company. But the now-retired wrestler was all business when he suggested that James Ellsworth, a smaller competitor also working a comedy gimmick, is setting a lot of small wrestlers up for disappointment due to his surprising success story.
Although Santino Marella never made it past WWE's mid-card, he entertained fans with his "Milan Miracle" persona. Billed as a native of Italy — he was born and raised in Canada as Anthony Carelli — Santino spoke in a thick faux-Italian accent, mispronounced words for comedic effect, and took down opponents with his Cobra Strike, a simple thrust to the face with his right hand and arm covered by a green-and-yellow sock. He retired in 2014 after a series of injuries and made occasional appearances on WWE television before getting released in May 2016.
Marella may have been out there to make WWE audiences laugh, but outside the ring, he's gotten recognition as a legitimate fighter who now helps train athletes in his Battle Arts Academy training facility in Ontario. Yet he still was able to put all that, as well as his judo and amateur wrestling experience, behind him as he competed in WWE.
